Bouncing Back
by Overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: While the Chat's away, Ladybug must play With the pest that Hawkmoth is sending, Double the trouble Is coming her way Before the fight will be ending. Once the Chat-valry came, He lifted her frame Safe out of range of the battle, Set on the rooftop with care To mend and repair De-transformed-–but she trusts he won't tattle.
1. Stay (A Little Longer)

Ladybug gasped, willing her muscles to relax in spite of the impact she intuitively knew was coming.

Relaxing was the only thing that would make it hurt less. The flash of blue knocking her back into the wall for what felt like the twentieth time in far too quick succession. She could barely manage to catch her breath and right herself, before the red Akuma sped forward, knocking her back into the wall again.

This Akuma was rough. It was literally double the trouble.

She'd been there, walking through the park with Alya the instant it had happened. She'd seen the young boys, having a tantrum in near-perfect sync with their mother struggling the calm them both as she'd tried in vein to tug them both home.

She'd tried to catch the butterfly, before it had ensnared them both, preying on emotions they were too young to understand and could barely control.

Her stomach lurched as she dragged herself back onto her feet. Her powers were not made to take persistent, direct hits like this.

But she couldn't stay down. She wouldn't let herself.

Those little boys needed her. That distraught mother needed her. The people of Paris needed her to keep them all safe.

Her eyes darted to the sky as the blur of blue raced towards her.

"Where are you, Chat Noir?"

* * *

Chat Noir ran, sprinting over rooftops, as if the devil were at his heels.

He hadn't seen the news feed until it was too late. Not until the Ladyblog footage showed Ladyblog was taking a beating.

He had been at a photoshoot all the way across town.. It was the third time this week that had happened. It was almost as if someone knew when an Akuma would appear and was trying to keep him away.

But that was impossible. He'd been so, so careful.

He'd followed the noise and the cloud of dust, the tips of his claws digging into his gloves.

He scowled at the picture below, watching as LB struggled to stand before she was knocked down again by the momentum. In an instant, he was on the ground, pulling her up before the pair of rock em, sock em robots could knock her back again.

Ladybug was slumped against his chest nearly as fast as he could deploy the baton and lift them both up into the air.

"They were just a little two much, weren't they my lady."

A shock of that burning blue pierced through her eyelashes. Grinning, he squeezed her a little tighter to his chest to ensure the position was as secure as as comfortable for them both to move

Darting a glance backward to ensure they weren't followed, Chat Noir breathed a sigh of relief when the twin terror Akuma stayed firmly on the ground. Their fists held high as both glared up at them.

He didn't even consider setting his Lady down until they both were safely out of sight.

* * *

Ladybug frowned into his shoulder.

Chat Noir was moving slowly, too slowly. It felt like every muscle in hter body ached, which meant that every step her partner took also left her feeling achy.

She needed to rest, needed to heal. To be able to let her muscles move without the ache, to have the proper speed she would need to take that out.

For that, she'd need Tikki to re-fuel. Her mind drifted as she tried to focus on something other than the wave of pain that currently flooded her body. She wasn't sure how Chat's kwami worked; it hadn't really been something they had ever discussed.

Ladybug lifted the hand that gripped onto his shoulder, tapping it enough to snag his attention. "Can we…?" She winced, her voice far more gravelly than she'd expected.

But he'd stopped the instant he'd heard, scanning around for the most stable space of rooftop to set up and re-group and set her down onto the rooftop as if she were made of glass.

* * *

"We need to get back to that terrible two-some soon."

Ladybug nodded, slamming her eyes shut as she gently set her head back on the softest bit of rooftop he could manage to find on short notice. "I need something for my kwami."

Chat Noir blinked, her voice had gotten a little stronger at least. And her request made sense. His eyes were already scanning the streets below for possibilities "What does he eat?"

"She," Ladybug smiled, "has quite the sweet tooth."

"Sounds easy enough." He smiled, tossing her a wink she was sure not to see with her arm up over her eyes. "Don't go anywhere."

Her chuckle was ragged. "Wouldn't dream of it…."

* * *

Ladybug sighed. Her breathing had calmed by the time Chat has returned with a whole dozen cookies, She had only just managed to pull herself up to sit, which was actually a bit more comfortable than it was to lay against the hard roof.

"I got a few different kinds. My kwami is very picky about what he will eat, so I figured it was better to be safe than sorry."

She nodded. "She'll appreciate that, but she's pretty easy to please."

Chat Noir's feet shuffled on the roof, as he stood back to full height digging his baton from it's holster. His ears flattened, his green eyes far less sure than he normally looked. "I guess I'll give you some time-"

Ladybug shook her head, placing her hand on his arm. "You don't have to go."

His jaw dropped and green eyes widened, blinking in disbelief. "You want me to…"

"I trust you not to look when I de-transform. You didn't before, when you'd had the chance." Her eyes softened. "Besides, you're my partner. There's no one else I'd trust more.

She exhaled, hoping she was doing the right thing. It was still pretty risky, even if her partner was on perfect behavior. "I think if you sit here behind me and face the other way-"

She hadn't even finished talking before Chat had leapt, scrambling to pull himself into a comfortable position behind her.

"We can try to plan out what we'll need to do to finish up the battle." Ladybug rifled through the bag of sweets he'd procured. They were sure to not be as excellent as her parent's cookies, but healing superheroes could not be choosers.

His voice was softer than she'd expected, as he leaned against her back just enough to reassure her of his position. "Sounds like a plan, my Lady."

Smiling softly, she'd handed him one of the cookies as the pink light of transformation washed over her gloved hand.


	2. Trusting

It had been days. Days of the same thing happening, over and over.

These makeshift rooftop refreshes had become an everyday occurrence.

At least this time, he had gotten here in time. But the battle had been a draining one, and they were both so far away from the usual home base section of town that re-fueling their Kwami was the best course of action to see them both safely home.

Chat bit angrily into the cookie, his hands gripping his knees as Ladybug sat up against his back.

There was no denying it now. Someone knew.

They knew his schedule. They had to.

It was just too many coincidences. Too many days he'd spent scrambling across the rooftops of Paris because the Akuma was definitely being held on the other side.

Only to make it just in time to take a big hit. Or to lift her up and away.

Ladybug hadn't asked. But she was too clever by half. She had to suspect something, too.

Plagg noisily noshed on his particularly pungent hunk of Camembert, looking between he and Ladybug's de-transformed forms with avid, amused interest.

Ladybug's Kwami, Tikki, had sworn him to secrecy on their identities. Amazingly a threat from her actually worked.

He wouldn't have thought the tiny, sweet looking ladybug Kwami could strike fear in his own cantankerous cat kwami. But she didn't budge and he relented far more quickly than he had thought possible.

Remembering to tote around the extra fuel and actually toting it into battle was an added challenge.

That was the hardest part of all this. Camembert - at least good enough Camembert that wouldn't set Plagg to grumbling about the quality - was hard enough to come by. But mid-attack it was nearly impossible to track down something of good quality, and even harder to buy it without de-transforming.

This extra level of preparation had become an exercise in necessity. They were all exhausted, and Paris needed them to bounce back as quickly as possible to set everything back to rights.

He wasn't about to let Plagg give any less than his best. Especially not when he wasn't sure just who he could trust now.

His lips pressed together in a grimace. Nathalie had to keep his schedule limited to only a few select people. But what if someone in the company had access. How could he even ask someone find out without sending up red flags?

But that was the question. He wasn't sure how they knew.

He scratched his fingernails at the nape of his neck. "Ladybug, am I too trusting?"

She sighed, shuffling slightly against his back. "You're saying that like it is a bad thing."

"Isn't it, though?" He frowned, clenching his fists at his side. "I just...I hate this feeling. That I might have said something or done something - all without even realizing it - that is putting you in jeopardy."

Reaching out, she patted his hand. "I will be alright, Chaton. Tikki is amazing. She can do a lot to keep me safe."

"I've seen them knock you down, my Lady." He scowled, shaking his head. In that exact moment it was extremely tempting to turn around at the moment, to grab her shoulders and stare her down until she saw reason. Didn't she understand just how worried he was? Didn't she understand it was his job to protect her? He exhaled, forcing his gaze off into the distance. "We've had way too many close calls as it is, and I hate that I can't get here fast enough."

Ladybug went quiet, silent except for the soft cadence of her breathing. "You really hadn't said why you've been late."

He shrugged. "I'm not really sure what I can safely say. I have activities scheduled for me in advance. At nearly the exact time these Akuma keep appearing. When they come, I'm scheduled pretty far away."

"Oh?"

"Like the other side of town far away." Chat scowled, practically vibrating in irritation. "I start...what I'm doing on the east end of town and the Akuma shows up on the west end. The next day, I was scheduled in the Northwest and it shows up in the Southeast."

Ladybug's fingers laced with his.

"It's bad enough that I can't help but think Hawkmoth...or someone who Hawkmoth knows might know how I am and have access to my schedule."

He felt her collapse back into him, her head settling heavier against his back. .

"That's a scary thought…"

"Yeah," he breathed. "The question is...what can I even do about it?"

"We." She murmured, squeezing his hand as she corrected him. "What can we do about it?"


	3. Sharing Food

He had somehow managed to get the sweet from her family's bakery. It was surprisingly sweet...and equally troubling.

In the wake of the battle that had dragged on for well over two hours, her brain was kind of fried.

Ladybug was still wanting to ponder that out, but her body desperately needed to rest up. She had slumped against Chat. It was the oddest feeling. She felt terribly exposed without the safety of her suit. But her partner was literally at her back, and she would hardly feel as safe nearly anywhere else.

Her fingers laced with his. Chat was really worried.

"It's bad enough that I can't help but think Hawkmoth...or someone who Hawkmoth knows might know how I am and have access to my schedule."

Her eyes widened, her head half turned over towards Tikki. For guidance. For anything. Her kwami just frowned.

She slumped back against him, her head searching the sky for some sort of guidance. "That's a scary thought…"

"Yeah," he breathed. "The question is...what can I even do about it?"

"We." She corrected, squeezing his hand. Whatever it was that they could do, Chat Noir definitely wasn't in this alone. "What can we do about it?"

Tikki coughed. "I think Plagg and I need to discuss on this."

Chat Noir's kwami smirked on in pure amusement, as he flit over and swiped another cookie for Tikki from the bag. In fact, he was just a little too amused for his own good. She'd definitely seem that same look on Alya's face on more than one occasion and it rarely ever ended well.

Ladybug had also seen that frowning, distant gaze on Tikki before, and it was clear that Tikki was worried.

That just made her worry even more. Why was it that Tikki knew who he was and thought it still wasn't safe for her to know? At least, not just yet.

But why wouldn't Tikki want her to know? Chat Noir was in danger. And he was convinced that his apparent revelation to their enemy would only serve to put her in danger, because someone was actively trying to keep him away. And when would that person decide to change their course of action and come directly after him?

Wouldn't their mutual ignorance make things so much worse at this point? They were all in the mess together.

Tikki shook her head and locked eyes with her. "You two behave. We'll be back soon to discuss a plan."

Shaking her head, Ladybug glanced at the bag from her parent's bakery.

She squeezed his hand comfortingly, before snagging the bag of cookies. If they were going to sit here and be left to wonder while their Kwami talked shop, then at least they wouldn't go hungry. She was sure they both had already burned more calories in the battle than were contained in that bag.

"Have you tried one of the macarons?"

"Yeah." He rifled through the bag. "I've had a bit from their shop before."

"Oh?" Ladybug gulped. So he either remembered it from helping or he actually lived close enough to stop. Most people wouldn't go too far out of their way for cookies from a particular bakery - no matter how amazing her parent's baking might be. "Like what?"

"Hm." Chat's voice was softer than usual. She was trying to not think about it too hard. "I'm pretty sure it was quiche. But it was seriously amazing"

"Huh." She blinked. That was not something they kept on the regular menu. In fact her parents only usually brought that out for special occasions. Or for their own dinners. The sales on it had historically been much too variable until they were getting a larger than normal .

She gaped, her hands flying up to her cheeks, the shock the warmth reddening them into a severe blush.

It was only after her posture straightened, tugging her just the slightest bit away from him that he seemed to notice.

"What the matter, Ladybug?"

"So." She chuckled nervously, before cleared her throat with a vengeance. "Do you think you can keep a secret from Plagg?"

"Uhh. I guess that depends on what it is."

"Well, something in the way he was grinning tells me he won't really mind." She sighed. "But Tikki is definitely going to kill me."

"Why?"

"Because I know my parent's menu much too well, Adrien."

* * *

His eyes bugged out as he spun around.

Her lips were pressed together, a fingertip pressed to her own lips reminding him to be silent. Her cheeks were just as red as his must be.

He clamped his hands down over his mouth, his green eyes wide. "Marinette?" he mouthed, half in disbelief. How had he not seen that? She had been sitting behind him in class all year.

She nodded, her blue eyes carefully not quite meeting his. "At least we know, how easy it can be to slip up. I'm sure you wouldn't have thought it was an issue. And if I had been anyone else..."

Adrien's hands dropped to his side, dejected. How did he keep screwing this up?

"Hey." With a sharp inhale, Marinette steeled herself, smiling softly. "That's not a bad thing, Chaton. Especially, not when you've been so careful keeping your tracks covered otherwise."

Adrien tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Let's think of this as an opportunity." Her blue eyes flashed, her voice steady as it was mid-battle.

"Because you've been so careful to proceed as normally as you could, Hawkmoth won't suspect you're onto him."

He grinned, popping out his fist. "So we actually have the advantage."

"Right," she nodded, bumping his fist with her own.. "As long as you keep it up, and we both stay extra careful, we can take our time to figure out how you might have let that information slip...and to who."

"Yep!"

"And it should work," her voice grew just a little bit more shaky. "Just as long as we both pretend we don't know."

He gulped, spinning on his heel to drop back into where he had been seated behind her. "Yep!" Adrien winced as his voice wavered as well. "How hard could that be?"

* * *

Author's Notes:

You can follow me on Tumblr (same username).

Feedback of all forms and re-blogs of the Tumblr post are greatly appreciated!

This work has been retroactively dedicated to EnberLight and Fairia because they used the final chapter to befriend each other in the comment section over the details of the reveal. Even today I'm still amused by it.


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